The Role of Public Parks in Telling the Nation's Story

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Dustin ◽  
Larry Beck ◽  
Brett Wright ◽  
Gene Lamke ◽  
James Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Affect Theory ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Affective Responses ◽  
Frame Theory ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Public Park ◽  
Significant Events ◽  
Object Lesson ◽  
Good Object

In this paper, we discuss the role of public parks in telling the nation’s story via statues, memorials, and monuments. We ground our discussion in affect theory, which addresses the affective responses statues, memorials, and monuments elicit in visitors. Of particular note is affective dissonance, which suggests that a statue, memorial, or monument may evoke a variety of conflicting affective responses. The way in which visitors reconcile these conflicting affective responses shapes their public memory of significant events in our nation’s history. As more is learned about the checkered past of individuals venerated in statues, memorials, and monuments, how should public park administrators respond? We provide several examples of statues, memorials, and monuments that are controversial in nature, and discuss how public park administrators have responded to the challenge of telling the nation’s story through the reinterpretation of events. We also consider the complexity of the management implications, focusing in particular on who should be driving the decisions made. We then discuss the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, as a good object lesson in how to deal with the affective dissonance involved in recasting public spaces. In so doing, we underscore the importance of frame theory in educating visitors about the preservation, modification, or removal of existing statues, memorials, or monuments.

scholarly journals Homeless Individuals’ Social Construction of a Park: A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuben Addo
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Symbolic Interactionist ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public Park ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Interactionist Perspective

Individuals experiencing homelessness and housed residents have increasingly been in conflict over the use of public spaces, which has led to efforts to regulate how individuals experiencing homelessness use public spaces. However, the discourses around the use of public parks seem to value housed residents over homeless individuals. How individuals experiencing homelessness construct meanings of public spaces has not been given adequate attention in the literature. Drawing on a symbolic interactionist theoretical framework and grounded theory methodology, the researcher conducted 10 semi-structured interviews on how individuals experiencing homelessness construct meanings of a public park. Participants ascribed instrumental and intangible meanings to the park by describing it as a homeless safety hub, a homeless resource hub, and a homeless network hub. This study suggested that homeless individuals’ constructed meanings of public parks may be motivated by their interactions with their peers and housed residents. This study recommends policy makers to make an effort to understand factors that force people experiencing homelessness to congregate in public parks and to discontinue regulations that criminalize how individuals experiencing homelessness use public parks.

scholarly journals The square, the monument and the re-configurative power of art in postmigrant public spaces

2021 ◽  
pp. 235-264
Author(s):  
Anne Ring Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Public Art ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Public Park ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Imagination ◽  
National Heritage ◽  
Artistic Interventions

This chapter explores how art in public spaces shapes, and is shaped by, disagreements and conflicts resulting from the need to tackle »togetherness in difference« (Ien Ang), and how contemporary artistic practices play out in postmigrant public spaces, understood as plural domains of human encounter impacted by former and ongoing migration, and by new forms of nationalism. The chapter focuses on two art projects in Copenhagen, Denmark. The first one is The Red Square, a part of the public park Superkilen in the multicultural Nørrebro district. Designed by the artist group Superflex (in collaboration with architects from Bjarke Ingels Group and Topotek1), Superkilen opened in 2012. The second project is Jeannette Ehlers and La Vaughn Belle's collaboration on the sculpture I Am Queen Mary. Installed outside an old colonial Warehouse in Copenhagen harbour in 2018, it is the first monument in the country to commemorate Danish colonialism and complicity in the transatlantic slave trade. Borrowing a term from Chantal Mouffe, these projects could be characterized as »agonistic« interventions into public urban space. The chapter argues that they may provide us with some much-needed answers to the important question of the much debated yet crucial role of public art in democratic societies, particularly how works of art may form a possible loophole of escape from dominant discourses by openly contesting, or subtly circumventing, monocultural understandings of national heritage and identity, thereby helping us to imagine national and urban community otherwise, i.e. as postmigrant communities. The chapter examines what the re-configurative power of art might accomplish in postmigrant public spaces by considering the following questions: How can public art open up a social and national imagination pervaded by anxieties about (post)migration to other ways of thinking about diversity and collective identity? Furthermore, is it possible to identify a common pattern - i.e. a particular postmigrant strategy - that underpins and interconnects various types of artistic interventions into public spaces and debates, which, on the surface, present themselves as radically different kinds of projects?

scholarly journals Planning, design and use of the public space Wahlenpark (Zurich, Switzerland) : functional, visual and semiotic openness

2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kaspar ◽  
E. Bühler
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Reference Point ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Dual Role ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Goods ◽  
City Planners

Abstract. Wahlenpark is currently one of Zurich's most recent urban public parks. It is located in a neighbourhood which has been totally rebuilt during the last 20 years. Based on a constructivist conception of space, this article looks at the kind of spaces that have been, and still are, produced at Wahlenpark. It is argued that various groups of actors are, and have been, involved in this production of spaces: city planners in the role of constructors, landscape architects in the role of designers and «the population» in the role of users. By defining requirements, city planners constitute space, at first on a mental level «only». As constructors they perform – through the designers' plans – a powerful spacing act: they physically construct a park. Park users in their dual role as actors and «park element» subsequently (re-)produce manifold spaces by uniting social goods and people to spaces (see Löw 2001). It is argued that openness is an important reference point in the production and appropriation of space at Wahlenpark by planners, designers and users, albeit with different meanings. The statements of park users show that they experience openness differently, sometimes even in a contradictory manner, thereby highlighting the variability of subjective perception, resulting in both the inclusion and exclusion of the perceiver. In view of greater inclusiveness of public spaces, a better understanding of the manner in which people perceive and use these spaces is needed.

Parks for Profit: The High Line, Growth Machines, and the Uneven Development of Urban Public Spaces

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Loughran
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Uneven Development ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Public Park ◽  
For Profit ◽  
High Line

This paper investigates the growing inequality of public spaces in contemporary cities. In the era of neoliberal urbanism, stratified economic and cultural resources produce a spectrum of unevenly developed public parks, ranging from elite, privatized public spaces in wealthy districts to neglected parks in poor neighborhoods. Contemporary economic and cultural practices in public space are equally segmented, as privileged public spaces such as New York's High Line reflect the consumption habitus of the new urban middle class, while violence, disinvestment, and revanchist policing permeate public spaces on the urban periphery. Using New York's High Line as an archetypal neoliberal space, I trace its redevelopment from a decaying railroad viaduct to a celebrated public park. I argue that contemporary parks and public spaces are best analyzed on a continuum of privilege.

Future Park

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amalie Wright
Keyword(s):  
Public Spaces ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Public Park ◽  
Industrial Land ◽  
Industrial Sites ◽  
New Public ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
Urban Places

The first public parks were created on urban 'greenfields'. Once these designated sites had been used, cities looked towards post-industrial sites, and built parks in places that had suffered from environmental degradation, neglect, abandonment and conflict. With finite stocks of urban post-industrial land now also approaching exhaustion, more ways of making parks are required to create inclusive, accessible and resilient urban places. Future Park invites Australian built environment professionals and policymakers to consider the future of parks in our cities. Including spectacular images of public spaces throughout the world, the book describes the economic, social and environmental benefits of urban parks, and then outlines the threats and challenges facing cities and communities in an age when more than half the world's population are urban dwellers. Future Park introduces the need to embrace new public park thinking to ensure that benefits continue to be realised. Future Park illustrates imaginative and resourceful responses to real challenges by highlighting recent proposals and projects. These projects coalesce around four broad themes – linkages, obsolescences, co-locations and installations – responding to contemporary urban paradoxes, and ensuring parks continue to play a vital role in the lives of our cities.

MEDIA AND MODERNITY: THE ROLE OF THE PRINTING PRESS IN THE MODERNIZATION OF WESTERN SOCIETY

1970 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-301
Author(s):  
Yuyun Sunesti
Keyword(s):  
Modern Society ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Western Society ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
Information Media ◽  
Printing Method ◽  
Important Milestone

One of the influential factors in the formation of modern society in the Westernworld and subsequently spread to over the world has been the discovery of printing presswhich can be found in the form of printing method, printing company and print media.Since it was firstly used by Gutenberg in about 15th century AD, information which waspreviously delivered through oral medium with a limited audience, then through a methodof printing can be reproduced in large quantities and can be read by more audience, acrossdistance and time. Printing method which encourages the emergence of large printingcompanies and then print media has contributed in transforming modern cultural life ofsociety.In addition, the advent of the printing industries which has transformed intotransnational corporations as well as the emergence of journals and regular newspapersalso contributes significantly in raising public spaces as a medium for discussion andcritical thinking amidst society. Ultimately, this information media transformation brings achange in the state system which is more open and leads to the emergence of ideas ofnationalism which becomes an important milestone in transforming traditional societiesinto modern societies.

Queering Gender Identity Work: A Life History of a Black Transgender Woman

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esethu Monakali
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Identity Work ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
Ongoing Effort ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual

This article offers an analysis of the identity work of a black transgender woman through life history research. Identity work pertains to the ongoing effort of authoring oneself and positions the individual as the agent; not a passive recipient of identity scripts. The findings draw from three life history interviews. Using thematic analysis, the following themes emerge: institutionalisation of gender norms; gender and sexuality unintelligibility; transitioning and passing; and lastly, gender expression and public spaces. The discussion follows from a poststructuralist conception of identity, which frames identity as fluid and as being continually established. The study contends that identity work is a complex and fragmented process, which is shaped by other social identities. To that end, the study also acknowledges the role of collective agency in shaping gender identity.

Walkability Design for Urban Public Housing Park

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dasimah Omar ◽  
Kamarul Ariff Omar ◽  
Saberi Othman ◽  
Zaharah Mohd Yusoff
Keyword(s):  
Public Housing ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
User Perception ◽  
Public Park ◽  
Outdoor Activities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Housing Environment ◽  
International Publishing

The walkability approach is essential to ensure the connectivity among space in the urban area. The design should be appropriate, safety, maximize and capable of reaching every inch of the spaces, just by walking. Good connectivity must allow people to walk freely and accessible in many ways. People have great chances to meet each other or having potential outdoor activities without any challenges. This study aims to measure the user perception of the existing spaces in the urban public housing environment that been covered and uncovered with the walkability linkages. The objectives of this study are to identify the existing pedestrian linkages in the study area; to investigate the user perception of the existing walkability system in the study area, and finally to conclude and provide a better solution for better walkability opportunity among residents to access the public park.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords:outdoor space;  pedestrian linkages; public parks; walkability behavior

scholarly journals The Hierarchy of Walking Needs and the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7461
Author(s):  
Mohammad Paydar ◽  
Asal Kamani Fard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Mode Of Transport ◽  
Different Levels

More than 150 cities around the world have expanded emergency cycling and walking infrastructure to increase their resilience in the face of the COVID 19 pandemic. This tendency toward walking has led it to becoming the predominant daily mode of transport that also contributes to significant changes in the relationships between the hierarchy of walking needs and walking behaviour. These changes need to be addressed in order to increase the resilience of walking environments in the face of such a pandemic. This study was designed as a theoretical and empirical literature review seeking to improve the walking behaviour in relation to the hierarchy of walking needs within the current context of COVID-19. Accordingly, the interrelationship between the main aspects relating to walking-in the context of the pandemic- and the different levels in the hierarchy of walking needs were discussed. Results are presented in five sections of “density, crowding and stress during walking”, “sense of comfort/discomfort and stress in regard to crowded spaces during walking experiences”, “crowded spaces as insecure public spaces and the contribution of the type of urban configuration”, “role of motivational/restorative factors during walking trips to reduce the overload of stress and improve mental health”, and “urban design interventions on arrangement of visual sequences during walking”.

scholarly journals The projectilic image: Islamic State’s digital visual warfare and global networked affect

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 1194-1209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marwan M Kraidy
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
Affect Theory ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Video Production ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
Study Approach

Islamic State’s (IS) image-warfare presents an auspicious opportunity to grasp the growing role of digital images in emerging configurations of global conflict. To understand IS’ image-warfare, this article explores the central role of digital images in the group’s war spectacle and identifies a key modality of this new kind of warfare: global networked affect. To this end, the analysis focuses on three primary sources: two Arabic-language IS books, Management of Savagery (2004) and O’ Media Worker, You Are a Mujahid!, 2nd Edition (2016), and a video, Healing the Believers’ Chests (2015), featuring the spectacular burning of a Jordanian air force pilot captured by IS. It uses the method of ‘iconology’ within a case-study approach. I analyze IS’ doctrine of image-warfare explained in the two books and, in turn, examine how this doctrine is executed in IS video production, conceptualizing digital video as a specific permutation of moving digital images uniquely able to enact, and via repetition, to maintain, visual and narrative tension between movement and stillness, speed and slowness, that diffuses global network affect. Using a theoretical framework combining spectacle, new media phenomenology, and affect theory, the article concludes that global networked affect is projectilic, mimicking fast, lethal, penetrative objects. IS visual warfare, I argue, is best understood through the notion of the ‘projectilic image’.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document